Weaving samples

I had a lovely day yesterday revisiting weaving skills with Great Western Embroiderers, the group I stitch and exhibit with. Sarah Beadsmoore from New Brewery Arts in Cirencester came to run the session and worked with us using a simple frame loom and helping us to create small tapestry weaving samples.

Small sample in progress on the simple frame loom

First of all, we warped up simple frame looms with cotton thread, bringing the front and back warps together and completing a row of double soumak - a rug-making technique which involves wrapping the weft around the warps - to give a firm starting row. Then we tried out techniques on our samples.

I had covered all this before many times but it is always good to revisit skills and to remind myself of the basic techniques, especially after a long time gap.









I include here another sample completed with Sarah and also one I did in preparation for a previous weaving project to try out a range of wools and threads, with covering the warp fully and leaving it exposed, inserting printed strips of fabric and then over-stitching with my machine in zig-zag.

Another small sample
completed with some tufting

And the last - using varying
weights of wool and
strips of cotton fabric

I had forgotten how much I enjoy the rhythm and calming quality of weaving. In the past, I have often had a piece of weaving on the go to run in parallel with stitching projects. I've found this very helpful - when one piece of work hits trouble, I can turn to the other for solace. Perhaps the fact that the two types of work are so dissimilar is the most helpful thing. The problems and the pleasures of the two very different means of expression can fuel one another.

Now, I think I will warp up my loom again and try out some techniques and effects for my Stroud series of work. It will give me much-needed variety and a different way of looking at things.